With recent advances in digital transmission technology, subscriber television systems are now capable of providing much more than the traditional analog broadcast video. In implementing enhanced programming, the home communication terminal (“HCT”), otherwise known as the set-top box, has become an important computing device for accessing content services (and content within those services) and navigating a user through a maze of available services. In addition to supporting traditional analog broadcast video functionality, digital HCTs (or “DHCTs”) now also support an increasing number of two-way digital services such as video-on-demand and personal video recording.
Typically, a DHCT is connected to a cable or satellite system, or generally, a subscriber television system, and includes hardware and software necessary to provide the functionality of the digital television system at the user's site. Some of the software executed by a DHCT can be downloaded and/or updated via the subscriber television system. When software is unloaded from memory, such as to free memory space for other software, systems often lack discernment as to what software to unload from memory, particularly software that operates at a higher-level of control. Even systems that employ methods for organized software flow into and out of memory often degrade the user experience. For example, some systems may employ a prioritization methodology that removes the software that consumes the most memory space when memory space is needed. Unfortunately, the software that consumes the most memory space will typically be the software that is removed, which may increase the time consumed to reload such software when it is needed. Such careless management of the unloading and/or reloading of software out of and into memory can lead to user dissatisfaction in the performance of the subscriber television system, among other problems. Thus, a need exists in the industry to address the aforementioned and/or other deficiencies and/or inadequacies.